Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-01-15

She looked and waited.
In silence ON his side, Moody laid an open
sheet OF paper ON ths table The paper
quivered in his trembling hand
Lady Lydiard recovered herself first. SIS
that for mef she asked
"Yes, my LADY,
She took up the paper without an instants
hesitation. Both the men watched her anx-
iously as she read IT,
The handwriting was strange to her. The
words were these:
81 hereby certify that the bearer Of these
lines, Robert Moody by name, has presented
TO me the letter with which he was charged.
addressed to myself, with the seal intact.
regret to add that there is, TO say the least
of it, some mistake The Enclosure referred
to by the anonymous writer of the letter,
who signs "a Friend in Need, has not
reached me. No e50O bank note was in the
letter when I opened it, My wife was pres
emit when | broke the seal, and can certify TO
this statement If necessary Not knowing
who my charitable correspondent is (Mr
Moody being forbidden TO give me any in
formation), / can only take this means OF
stating the case exactly as it stands, and hold
myself at the disposal Of the writer of the
letter My private address is at the head of
the page. SAMUEL BRADsrocK,
Rector st. Anne's, Deansbury, London"
Lady Lydiard dropped the paper on the
table. For the moment, plainly as the reetor's
statement was expressed, she appeared to be
incapable of understanding it. "What, in
Gods name, does this msanln she asked.
| The lawyer and the steward looked at each
other Which of the two was entitled to
speak firstl Lady Lydiard gave them no
time to decide. Moody she said, sternly,
you took charge of the letter; look to you
for an explanation.
| Moody's dark eyes flashed. He answered
Lady Lydiard, without caring TO conceal
that he resented the tone in which she had
spoken to him.
81 undertook to deliver the letter at its
address," he said 81 found 1t, sealed, on
the table. Your ladyship has the clergy
mans written testimony that handed it to
him with the seal unbroxen. have done my
duty, and have no explanation to Offer
Before Lady Lydiard could speak again,
Mr.. Troy discreetly interfered. He saw
plainly that his experience was required to
lead the investigation in the right direction.
Pardon me, my lady" he said with that
happy mixture of the positive and tho polite
in his manner of which lawyers alone possess
the secret "There is only one way of arriv-
ing at the truth in painful matters of this
sort We must begin at the beginning. May
venture to ask your ladyship question:
Lady Lydiard felt the composing influence
of Mr.. Troy. II am at your disposal, sir"
she said, quietly
"Are you absolutely certain that you In
closed the bank note in the lettern the law
yer asked.
II certainly believe inclosed 1t" Lady
Lydiard answered. "But was so alarmed
at the time by the sudden illness of my dog
that do not feel justified in speaking posi-
lively"
was anybody In the room with your lady
skip when you put the inclosure in the let
ter, as you believed"
II was in the room," said Moody ~ can
swear that saw her ladyship put the bank
note In the letter, and the letter in the en-.
velope."
'tAnd seal the envelopew asked Mr.. Troy.
mo, sir. Her ladyship was called away
into the next room to the dog before she
could seal the envelope"
Mr.. Troy addressed himself once more to
Lady Lydiard. ibid your ladyship take the
letter into the next room with your
II was too much alarmed to think Of It,
Mr.. Troy. I left it here ON the table"
with the envelope openi"
"Yes"
show long were you absent in the other
roomF'
Half an hour or more"
"Haln said Mr. Troy to himself, this COM
plicates it a littlen He reflected for awhile
and then turned again to Moody. ibid any
of the servants know of this bank note being
in her ladyship's possessionF'
mot one of them" Moody answered.
"Do you suspect any of the servantsF'
Certainly not, sir"
"Are there any workmen employed in the
housed"
mo, SIR"
'Do you know Of any persons who had
access to the room while Lady Lydiard was
absent from it"
tive visitors called, sir"
"Who were theyF'
"Her ladyship's nephew, Mr. Felix Sweet
sir, and the Honorable Alfred Hardyman."
Mr.. Troy shook his head irritably. II am
not speaking Of gentlemen Of high position
and repute," he said "Its absurd even to
mention Mr. Sweetsir and Mr. Hardyman.
My question related to strangers who might
have obtained access to the drawing room
people calling, with her ladyship's sanction,
for subscriptions, for instance; or people
calling with articles of dress or ornament to
be submitted to her ladyships inspection"
mo such persons came to the house, to my
knowledge" Moody answered.
Mr.. Troy suspended the investigation, and
took turn thoughtfully in the room. The
theory on which his inquiries had proceeded
thus tar had failed to produce any results.
His experience warned him to waste no more
time on it, and to return to the starting
point of the investigation-in other words,
to the letter Shifting his point of view, he
turned again to Lady Lydiard, and tried his
questions in a new direction
"Mr Moody mentioned just now" he said,
"that your ladyship was called into the next
room before you could seal your letter. On
your return to this room, did you see the
lettcrP''
Il was busy with the dog" Lady Lydiard
answered, "Isabel Miller was OF no use in
the boudoir, and l told her to seal it for
men
Mr. Troy started. The new direction in
which no was pushing his inquiries began to
look like the right direction already miss
Isabel Miller,p he proceeded, "has been q